Patents by Inventor Frank Manfred Franz Mueller

Frank Manfred Franz Mueller has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF OIL BASED DRILLING FLUID
    Publication number: 20160263494
    Abstract: A system may include a tank storing slop water and an in-line mixing device in communication with the tank to contact a stream of slop water from the tank, an emulsion breaker. The system may further include an emulsion breaker source to inject emulsion breaker into the stream of slop water; and a two-phase separator in communication with the in-line mixing device, the separator to separate the slop water into a mud phase and a water phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller, Martin Hunter
  • Method for recycling of oil based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Patent number: 7678280
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Method for recycling of oil based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Publication number: 20090184055
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Method for recycling of oil based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Patent number: 7507344
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Apparatus for recycling of oil-based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Patent number: 7300578
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: M-I L.L.C.
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Method of recycling water contaminated oil based drilling fluid
    Patent number: 6977048
    Abstract: A method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oil component and an aqueous component. The method includes: mixing the invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion clearing agent, wherein the emulsion clearing agent is a mixture of an anionic tensid and a non-ionic tensid; and separating the oil component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaking agent that is a combination of an anionic tensid, a non-ionic tensid and an alkyl polyglycoside tensid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: M-I LLC
    Inventors: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller, Juergen Rudolph
  • Method for recycling of oil based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Patent number: 6881349
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: M-I LLC
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Apparatus for recycling of oil based drilling fluid contaminated with water and water contaminated with oil based drilling fluid
    Publication number: 20040094483
    Abstract: A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventor: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller
  • Method of recycling water contaminated oil based drilling fluid
    Publication number: 20030100452
    Abstract: A method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oil component and an aqueous component. The method includes: mixing the invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion clearing agent, wherein the emulsion clearing agent is a mixture of an anionic tensid and a non-ionic tensid; and separating the oil component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaking agent that is a combination of an anionic tensid, a non-ionic tensid and an alkyl polyglycoside tensid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Frank Manfred Franz Mueller, Juergen Rudolph